The big, feature-laden iOS 5 update finally hit the iTunes App Store yesterday, but it didn’t have an entirely smooth birth.
Lots of users complained of issues trying to upgrade to the new mobile operating system, which seems to have partially stemmed from the demand for iOS 5 taxing Apple’s servers as it attempts to distribute the new software. The most common error suffered by users was Error 3200, which Apple reps were telling users was a result of so many users all over the world pinging Apple for the update at the same time, according to Mashable.
But the problems didn’t just end with not being able to connect to Apple’s servers and download the new iOS software. Some users ran into more serious issues, such as the upgrade stalling and devices being wiped of their apps, music, photos and other data. From the outcry on Twitter, it seems like many users had their devices hit pretty hard by the update, and some were even seemingly unusable for a short time.
But all is not lost, it seems, even if you’ve had iOS 5 temporarily brick your device. Plugging your device back into iTunes, as PCWorld points out, should pretty much solve the issue when the device starts syncing. Apple’s software recognizes that your device is blank and starts filling things back in from your last backup. And because iTunes backs up your iPhone every time you plug it in, it shouldn’t be too hard to restore it to the condition it was in just a little while ago. If it doesn’t happen automatically, you can click “Restore from Backup” or just the “Sync” button to get the process going.
Syncing can take a long while, though, so make sure you bring something else to do for a bit. And if you haven’t tried to make the leap to iOS 5 yet, make sure that you have first upgraded to iTunes 10.5, which is necessary to getting the software update on your devices. After you’ve got iTunes 10.5, be sure to backup your iPhone again before trying to update to iOS 5. Otherwise, it’s possible to lose your data.
Luckily, even if iOS 5 does happen to wipe your iPhone, it’s not the end of the world, at least in terms of content you’ve bought from the iTunes App Store. The newly released iCloud service keeps a list of everything you’ve purchased from iTunes, so you can quickly find and re-download anything you already paid for, as many times as you need to. You just need to get your device updated to get at all that content.
If you’re still having trouble, here’s a last-resort-type quote from PCWorld’s story:
If all else fails, you can click on the ‘Summary’ tab under your device settings in iTunes, then click “restore.” You’ll see a dialog box that allows you to pick from a previous restore point. Choose a date prior to installing iOS 5 (do not click ‘set up as new’). This will take you back to the way things were. Then, you can install iOS 5 fresh.
And don’t forget that you can always call Apple or wander into an Apple Store for some expert-level assistance.
